The research question of this essay is, to what extend can features of a slave narrative be incorporated into a contemporary novel as "Push" and which features have to be altered in order to reflect specific cultural realities. Sapphire’s first novel (1996) is told in the African American vernacular voice of obese and illiterate 16-year-old Claireece Precious Jones who lives with her abusive mother in Harlem. The novel begins with Precious being pregnant with her second child by her father, who has been repeatedly raping her since childhood. After being expelled from high school due to her pregnancy, she is placed in an alternative school program where she learns to read and write with a group of other young women. As she becomes literate, her life begins to change.
Of the several essays written on "Push" most authors have focused on topics such as race and social class, food consumption and obesity, disability and the female body, rape, incest and trauma as well as on the topic of transformation. Only Riché Richardson has established a relationship between "Push" and the slave narrative in his essay “Close Up: Push, Precious, and New Narratives of Slavery in Harlem” by showing recurring slave narrative motifs including “Precious’ detachment from her mother and father, her sexual and physical abuse, and her quest for literary and freedom” (163).
In this essay, I will go a step further and not only focus on the similarities between "Push" and the slave narrative, but also discuss which impact the differences such as the replacement of the antebellum South into an urban setting and the replacement of slave holders into abusive and exploiting parents have on the narrative. I will begin the essay with a contextual chapter on the genre of slave narrative and its defining features. Then, I will focus on Sapphire’s "Push" and illustrate the differences to a slave narrative focusing on the urban setting of Harlem and the parents as tormentors. In a next step, I will discuss the similarities between "Push" and the slave narrative focusing on the themes of abuse and exploitation, as well as literacy, transformation and finally on escaping and being a free member of society.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Genre of the Slave Narrative
3. Differences to the Slave Narrative
3.1 The Urban Perspective
3.2 Black Parents Instead of White Masters and the Depiction of Sexual Abuse
4. Similarities to the Slave Narrative
4.1 The Theme of Abuse and Exploitation
4.2 Literacy
4.3 The Transformation of Precious Jones
4.4 Escaping and Becoming a Free Member of Society
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This essay explores the extent to which the structural and thematic features of the traditional slave narrative can be adapted into a contemporary literary context, specifically within Sapphire’s novel "Push," while simultaneously identifying which elements require modification to reflect modern cultural and urban realities.
- The evolution of the slave narrative genre and its defining historical characteristics.
- The transition from the antebellum South to the modern, urban setting of Harlem.
- The substitution of white slaveholders with abusive and exploiting parental figures.
- The role of literacy and self-expression as a catalyst for personal transformation and liberation.
- The parallels between the systemic exploitation of slaves and the experience of contemporary, marginalized black women.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Black Parents Instead of White Masters and the Depiction of Sexual Abuse
Although slavery has been abolished in the United States in 1865, it can be stated that Precious in a broader understanding is indeed a slave to her black natural parents. She is exposed to physical and mental exploitation as slaves have been by their white masters. Precious’ family is depicted as highly dysfunctional and violently abusive. According to Janice Lee Liddell, Push deals with the “physical and psychological holocaust inflicted on one of society’s most innocent by those who should protect and nurture her” (137). From the time she is a baby, her body acts as the site of her father’s incestuous actions, which her mother has witnessed and recalls as following:
She still little. Yeah, around three maybe. […] “He climb on me, you know. –You unnerstand?” […] ”So he on me. Then he reach over to Precious! Start wif fingers between her legs. […] Then he git off me, take off her Pampers and try stick his thing in Precious. (Sapphire 135)
In contrast to the slave narrative, Sapphire offers explicit depictions of the systematic sexual exploitation of Precious by her father:
He slam his hips into me HARD. I scream pain he come. He slap my thighs as cowboys do horses on TV. Shiver. Orgasm in me, his body shaking, grab me, call me Fat Mama, Big Hole! You LOVE it! Say you love it! I wanna say I DON’T. I wanna say I’m a chile. […] Then my body take me over again, […] I come again. My body not mine, I hate it coming. Afterward I go bafroom. I smear shit on my face. Feel good. Don’t know why but it do. (111)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter defines the research question regarding the adaptation of slave narrative features in contemporary fiction and outlines the essay's analytical approach.
2. The Genre of the Slave Narrative: This section provides a contextual overview of the slave narrative as a literary genre, highlighting its master outline, characteristic motifs, and influential historical examples.
3. Differences to the Slave Narrative: This chapter examines how Sapphire modifies the traditional slave narrative by replacing the plantation setting with the urban environment of Harlem and transforming the role of the master into that of abusive parents.
4. Similarities to the Slave Narrative: This part analyzes recurring themes such as systemic abuse, the liberating power of literacy, the protagonist’s personal transformation, and the final escape toward independence.
5. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the arguments, asserting that while some features of the slave narrative require adjustment, the core story of survival and liberation remains powerfully relevant in a modern context.
Keywords
Slave narrative, Push, Sapphire, Precious Jones, Harlem, Literacy, Abuse, Exploitation, Transformation, Neo-slave narrative, African American literature, Trauma, Identity, Liberation, Urban setting
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores how the themes and structural elements of the historical slave narrative are repurposed within the contemporary setting of Sapphire’s novel "Push."
Which primary themes are addressed in the analysis?
The main themes include systemic abuse and exploitation, the importance of literacy, personal transformation, and the transition from a state of enslavement to individual autonomy.
What is the central research question?
The essay investigates to what extent features of the slave narrative are incorporated into "Push" and which aspects must be adapted to accurately reflect modern cultural realities.
What scientific methodology is utilized?
The work employs a comparative literary analysis, contrasting the structural conventions of the traditional slave narrative with the narrative elements found in "Push."
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body discusses the transition of settings from the antebellum South to urban Harlem, the shift from white slaveholders to abusive family members, and the critical role of literacy in the protagonist's development.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as neo-slave narrative, literary transformation, urban identity, trauma, and liberation.
How does the author define the role of the city in "Push"?
The city is described as an urban megacity that acts as a modern-day counterpart to the plantation, concentrating the struggles of marginalized black women into an accessible, albeit challenging, environment.
Why is literacy considered the most significant turning point for the protagonist?
Literacy allows Precious to articulate her trauma, name her experiences as rape, and gain a sense of self-worth and independence from her abusive environment.
How does the author interpret the ending of the novel?
The ending is viewed as an optimistic success story, despite the protagonist's health struggles, because it marks her transition into a free member of society who can define her own life.
- Quote paper
- Daria Poklad (Author), 2015, Differences and Similarities to the Slave Narrative in Sapphire’s "Push", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/314028
